The Sorcerous Houses
Throughout the known world, sorcerous ability has manifested in a select few bloodlines. Within Taelarys, these bloodlines had parlayed their magic into considerable political power. To better consolidate said power, the bloodlines have unified into four houses that compete with each other and with the guilds of the Machinists and Alchemists. These houses - the Tramontae, the Levant, the Ostrim, and the Ponentir - project their influence from four great towers scattered throughout the city whose foundations are said to burrow straight to the earth's heart. The Sorcerous Houses are among the most vocal proponents of slavery in Taelarys, and a great deal of their day-to-day operation is reliant upon their thousands of soul-bound slaves. Though idealistic nobles have attempted to place limitations on slavery in the past, such ideologues have the unfortunate tendency to be struck by lightning, a lamentable tragedy that nevertheless indicates the gods' disapproval of their radical ideas. Among the normal inhabitants of Taelarys, the members of the Sorcerous Houses can be identified by their ritually shaved heads and the lingering scent of narcotic incense. While the scions of the houses tend to keep to themselves, it is not uncommon for third sons to seek glory on the battlefield, leading to a small, select group of magically adept officers in the army of Taelarys that carry dark reputations for brutality. From time to time, a new sorcerous bloodline appears in Taelarys, whether by random chance or via exposure to excess magic none can say. In such an event, the magical awakening is swiftly felt by the Sorcerous Houses, who then enter in a desperate competition to acquire the new bloodline or expunge it. The only recourse of a newborn sorcerer is to join one of the four houses - to be a magic user in Taelarys otherwise is certain death. Sorcerous Houses are ruled over by a patriarch, called the Arch Magister of (One of the four Houses). The Arch Magister is selected through a byzantine contest of magical ability, the purity of one's sorcerous bloodline, and good old fashioned dirty politics. Murdering one's strongest opposition is not unheard of. To even qualify, one normally has to be the first-born son of one of the myriad sub-houses that makes up every great house, with obvious preference going to one who can trace their lineage back to the appropriate member of the Big Four. This strong element of misogyny is the only one found in the Sorcerous Houses, and it is not know on the outside why they prevent women from rising further than the rank of Lady Sorcerous. Of course, it is not unknown for a Magister or even an Arch Magister to gain his position thanks to the politicking and power of his wife. Below the Arch Magister are the Magisters, the head of each sub-house. Below them are the Sorcerer Lords and Ladies Sorcerous, sorcerers who have gained noted power but do not hold ultimate authority within a branch of the house. In terms of relative rank, an Arch Magister would be a ranking High Noble, a Magister would be a High Noble, and the Sorcerer Lords would be Median Nobles. As you may have ascertained by the talk of bloodline, incest is a common practice within the Sorcerous Houses, though the assumption of emergent bloodlines has given them enough diversity to avoid the unfortunate side effects of such practices (thus far). Indeed, cousins or even siblings who show unusual magical potential will often be paired by the Magister of their branch in the hope of breeding an even more powerful sorcerer. To marry someone without the sorcerous gift is the most serious taboo within the Sorcerous Houses, as it forever dilutes the bloodline in their eyes. However, dalliances with "the Sullied" (as they call non-magic users behind closed doors) are fairly common, to the extent that many ranking sorcerers maintain harems of pleasure slaves. Which brings us to the final detail - the slavery of the Sorcerous Houses. More than any other institution in Taelarys, the Sorcerous Houses rely on masses of slaves to support their endeavors, whether mystical or mundane. Due to this reliance, the sorcerers take far more stringent precautions that normal when it comes to their slaves - all slaves of the Sorcerous houses are soul-bound to their towers, leaving their lives, and afterlives, under the total control of their masters. Every member of the house with the gift is assigned a Bond Mate at the age of three, a slave of the same age and gender as the sorcerer. Rather than being bound directly to the tower, these slaves are bound to the sorcerers by way of a unique arcane mark. This compels the slaves to instantly sympathize with their master, and as both mature the slave becomes some warped combination of friend, confidant, and favored whipping post of the sorcerer. Through the years of compulsion, any thought of resistance is quashed, replaced by a burning devotion, even love, for the sorcerer. Worth noting is that the Gift is not passed on universally, and those without it but of noble blood are relegated to the roles of seneschals in the Houses, watching over the slaves and overseeing maintenance, but never given any real power.